Remnants
by Sylvage
Summary: Bloodclan survived, in a way, after the death of Scourge. As the forest is torn up and the Clans leave on the Great Journey, a warrior and her two kits are left behind. When the mother dies and she and her brother are taken to Bloodclan, How will Nightkit survive?
1. Prolouge

Camp

Leader-Raven- long haired dark grey mottled she-cat

Second-Crow-long haired dark tabby tom

Cats: Rat-scarred tabby tom

Lily-small pale grey she-cat

Grave- white and grey tom

Revenge- tabby and white she-cat

Savage-tabby tom

Nemesis- golden she cat

Scythe- black tom

Named Kits(Cats under one year old):

Foxglove(Fox)- pale tabby she-cat

Bones- albino tom with pink eyes

Queens: Laurel- pretty pale ginger and cream she-cat former kittypet( Mother to Red, an unnamed tom and foster mother to Sage)

Belladonna- tortoiseshell and white she-cat expecting Rat's kits

Healer: Daffodil- elderly yellow she-cat

"What's this? Two teensy little kittens all alone. Where's your mother huh?" Leered a powerfully built, scarred tom.

At the sound of the toms mew, the larger kit wrapped more tightly around his littermates body.

"Rat! The mothers obviously dead, why else would three moon old kits be wandering around? The group would benefit from them. We only have Laurel's two nameless right now, and two named." A she-cat meowed.

"Fine Lily. Come on kits, hurry up or we might change our minds and decide to eat you instead." The tom, Rat, hissed.

Shaking in fear the tom-kit and his sister stood and followed as the two scared cats walked away not seeming to care if the kits followed or not. Desperate not to be left behind the two kits followed the tom making sure his sister was always ahead of him.

Finally the two cats led the kits into an ally with an entrance that was partially hidden by a pile of rubble. As the cats entered the camp cats stopped what they were doing to stare.

"What did you find?- Look kits!-What's happening?" The mews of the cats rose over one another until they all stopped, suddenly as a dark grey she cat jumped onto an abandoned monster and flicked her tail.

"Rat. Lily. Explain."

"Well...we found these kits in an ally in the middle of the territory and Lily thought that maybe as it seemed their mother was dead they were strong enough to maybe be an asset to the Camp."

"I see. Well where are Laurel's two nameless? Maybe today they'll get their names, or maybe not."

"Here!" A she-cat meowed as she prodded her two kits forward.

The tom kit watched all of this quietly.

'What are they doing?'

He thought as the cats all pulled back, leaving the four kits in the middle. His question was answered as the she cat spoke again.

"Which ever two kits are left alive at the end of this fight will get a name and be accepted fully into the group."

'They want us to kill each other.' The tom thought horrified. He glanced at his sister, who was shaking in fear at his side. He brushed his pelt with hers and resolved that no matter what, his sister would live, even if he had to sell his soul.

'I just have to kill the two other kits. The she-cat said nothing about us each having to kill a cat. I'll do it and she'll be safe.' With that he launched himself at the larger kit, tiny claws unsheathed.

The kit leaped to the side and bowled into him pinning him to the ground.

'No!' The tom-kit though and brought up his hind legs and scratched the kit's exposed belly. The kit rolled to the side and before he could think about he was about to do sliced open the kit's throat. The tom-kit looked in horror at the dead kit, and reminded himself that it was for his sister, and her future.

He turned looking for the other kit. There, the kit was advancing on his sister.

How could he stop this? The kit was closer to his sister than he was. Then he remembered the she-cats words. When there are only two kits left…

'Good-bye my sweet sister.' He thought before turning those claws on himself.

As his body fell the last sound the tom-kit heard was his sister yowling in grief and horror.

The dark grey she cat stretched luxuriously before jumping onto the ground in front of the two kits.

"Laurel, do you have names for these two kits?" She meowed turning to the queen.

She looked contemptuously at the two kits, both of which were shaking with horror as they stared at the two dead kits.

"Y-Yes… The ginger one is Red and well I was going to name my other kit, the pale tabby one Sage...But"

"I don't care about that. Name the she-kit!"

"O-Of course Raven. The she-cat can be known as she

might have a..."

" Be quiet!" Raven hissed at the queen. Turning back to the kits she continued. "Welcome to the group. Foxglove can show you where to sleep. Understood?"

The two kits nodded, staring numbly.

'Weak.' Raven thought as she watched Foxglove lead them over to a sheltered space under an overhang.

'Two bad that one kit killed himself. He at least seemed to have some spine.'

Crows where already gathering as she turned away.


	2. Chapter 1

She was dreaming, right? Her brother, who had always looked out for her made sure she was okay, couldn't be dead. But he was. He had always been the strong one. After their mother died he was the one who kept her alive, he should be alive, and he definitely should get a proper burial he and that other kit, whose name she now had. Sage. It wasn't her real name. But she wasn't brave enough to tell them she had a name.

In a daze, she followed Red and Foxglove toward a shaded corner against a building.

"You can sleep here I guess. Congratulations on your names. Oh, and unless you want to be clawed don't call me Foxglove. It's Fox." The she-cat mewed and raced off leaving her with Red.

" I'm sorry. About your littermate…." She meowed cautiously.

" Thanks. Sorry about yours too."

"Are they going to bury them? " She finally asked. Red should his head. No.

Shocked she stared at him.

"Why not?!"

"They didn't die honorably. A naming fight isn't considered real. So they don't get a burial. I don't know about you Sage, but I'm going to sleep." Red said and turned away to walk away, conversation over.

"My name isn't Sage."

Red stopped.

"Oh? What's your name then?"

"Nightkit. My name is Nightkit and my brother's name was Darkkit" She meowed fiercely. "I won't take your brother's name."

" You don't get a choice. Your name is Sage now, not Nightkit. Raven, Crow and some of the older cats were young when Bloodclan was defeated and hate the clans! If you want to stay alive then your name is Sage. " Red hissed his ginger fur bristling.

"What? This is Bloodclan! How? " She hissed softly, struggling to keep her pale tortoiseshell fur smooth.

Red just walked over to an open area curled up and closed his eyes.

'Okay. Be like that. Bloodclan! Great Starclan. I guess I can be called Sage, and stay alive for Darkkit's sake.' With a sigh, she curled up in the shadows and stared out into the clearing.

That night she crept out and buried the Darkkit and the other kit who would have been Sage.

'Thank Starclan they don't have a watch.' She thought as she crept back into her nest under the overhang and curled up to sleep.

Red woke her up the next morning with a sharp jab. Blearily she opens her eyes and stretched.

"What do you want Red?" She asked.

"You buried them didn't you Sage? Also Raven's training us today. Don't do anything stupid or annoying or kit-like or say your name is Nightkit, she woke up on the wrong side of her nest today and is more likely to get angry than on normal days. I warned you so now we're even, okay?"

"Okay… But I did nothing to help you…" Sage said.

"You buried him. No one else would have done it. "

Sage was shocked again by the harshness of the cats here.

Her mother before she had died had told Sage stories of the clans, groups of noble warrior cats who lived by the warrior code. Her mother had been taken by Twolegs when the forest was destroyed, and when she had finally escaped the clans where missing. That hadn't stopped her from giving her and Darkkit clan names. She shook off her thoughts and nodded, to show that he owed her nothing. Red purred, and headed towards a trash pile, that Sage assumed was where they trained.

Raven greeted them with a grunt and then launched herself at them claws unsheathed. Red dodged to the side and twirled and Sage ducked letting Raven sail over her. Whirling Sage jumped on Raven before the she-cat could react and bowled her over. Her claws dug into Raven's fur. This was the cat who had caused her brother to die. She snarled and dug her claws in harder. Raven purred. Shocked Sage loosened her grip and Raven shoved her off.

"Finally showing some backbone, Sage? Good." She turned on Red. "You, on the other hand, no good fighter dodges."

Red lunged at Raven and scratched his claws down her side.

"Better. Now I want you and Sage to fight. Whoever gets to the top of the heap and defends it for 30 heartbeats wins, and doesn't have to help Daffodil later today. You can begin."

"Who's Daffodil?" Sage asked curiously, forgetting Red's earlier warning.

Red's eyes widen in fear as Raven slowly looked at Sage.

"Stupid kit!" Raven yowled and lashed her claws toward Sage's eyes.

Raven's claws tore a large gash across her face, just barely missing her eye. The wound went from above her left eye, and ran downward to end just below her ear, by her neck. Blood seeped from the wound and dripped into her eye. Raven turned away and motioned for them to start. Red hesitated for a split second, before leaping at her, claws unsheathed. Half blind, Sage dodged away and turned to sprint for the top of the pile.

"Coward! Turn and fight!" Red yowled as he chased after her.

Sage just ran faster. She got to the top of the trash pile and turned toward where Red was leaping up the pile after her. She blinked the blood out of her eye and braced herself. Red joined her at the top and lashed out with a low paw, claws out, aiming to unbalance her. She jumped back and darted into scratch his side. With a hiss, Red lunges at her and they rolled down the trash pile clawing at each other. Sage had no idea who Daffodil was but she knew she wasn't going to let Red beat her. She threw him off and raced back up the pile, running faster when she heard Red get up and chase after her. They reached the top simultaneously Sage was still catching her breath when Red pushed her to the off the top and she tumbled down, to land on the ground breathless. Slowly, her whole body ached, she picked herself off the ground and was tiredly starting to climb back up when Raven yowled to end the fight.

Red padded over to Sage.

" Daffodil is our healer. You should probably get that wound checked out. Come on I'll take you." Red said brushing her pelt with his.

Sage flinched away but followed Red towards a small den by the entrance to the camp where an elderly she-cat took, that Sage assumed was Daffodil, took one look at their wounds and disappeared into her den. Red stretched out with a wince in a shaft of sunlight and Sage sat next to him and started to wash her wounds.

Daffodil returned just as Sage was starting on the large wound on her face. Daffodil still without a word dropped the bundle of herbs and cobwebs she had and started to examine Sage's wounds.

" That one on your face is going to scar. " Daffodil said finally as she put cobwebs on her shallower wounds. " I need you to clean it as well as

possible before I can treat it." With that, she turned and started treating Red.

With a sigh Sage licked her paw and dragged it over her face, wincing when she touched her wound.

' They truly are a harsh and battle-hungry as mother said Bloodclan was. I'm only three moons old and already training with claws out.' Sage thought. 'But am I really surprised? I expected them to be bloodthirsty rogues the second I heard they were Bloodclan and they killed my brother.'

**/AN/ This is my first story. So if there are any things I could improve on please tell me!**


	3. Chapter 2

After Red left, and her face wound had been treated...Daffodil set her to work sorting herbs and helping her gather more. When she was finally let go night was falling and her whole body ached. She looked at the prey pile longingly and wondered if she would be allowed to eat as she hadn't eaten all day.

'I'll never know if I don't try.' She thought as she passed over to the prey pile and snatched up a scrawny mouse. No one yowled for her to stop or tried to claw her as she gulped down the mouse in a few bites.

Sage was tired to her very soul, tired of everything, of being here when her brother wasn't.

'Oh, Darkkit… What am I going to do without out you?' She thought as she curled up in her nest.

Three moons passed and Sage learned to fight and hunt. She barely noticed when she turned six moons, except to think that if this was a clan she would be an apprentice, now. Her wound as predicted had scarred, splitting her face diagonally. She had barely thought about her brother since that first moon, except for when Belladonna had given birth to three kits barely a moon ago. Even then she wasn't as sorrowful as she had been during that first moon. She was both sad and happy at this. Sad because she was beginning to forget him, and happy because if Bloodclan was to be her home she needed to not want to kill everyone to avenge his death.

As she padded down the alley that led back toward camp prey swinging from her mouth she felt a faint glimmer of pride to be a member of Raven's Bloodclan. There were some moments where Sage almost felt like a member of a true clan. It was certainly better than being a kittypet and it had made her strong.

' Six moons old and already as fierce as a seasoned warrior. In the clans, I would be just out of the nursery and almost as helpless as I was when I joined Bloodclan at three moons.' She thought proudly. The next moment she felt a glimmer of guilt at the thought.

' The clans are like that because they don't want to harm young kits. Mother and Darkkit were clan cats and both were honorable, unlike half the cats here. Red even said that Raven only has Crow as her second because she's afraid of him. Daffodil, Red, and the other named kits are okay at least. But I should want to be a clan cat!'

She shook off her train of thought as she padded into the camp and placed her prey on the pile. She had already eaten, a small bird she had caught while hunting. That was another thing about Bloodclan that she both hated and liked. The fact that the warrior code her mother had taught her as a kit wasn't used here. She could eat anytime, anywhere as long as she gave something to the prey pile and could take as long she wanted to return to camp. Sage used this rule, or lack of one, a lot, to her chagrin. Often she stayed out of camp for as long as possible when hunting alone, returning like now as the other cats in the camp were heading to their nests, after staying out hunting first for herself and then for the group.

She wondered what her mother and brother would think about her as she padded to her nest and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 3

She dreamed. Her brother padded beside her through a forest beside a rushing river. She felt safer than she had in moons. Her brother jumped onto a pile of stones that had been warmed by the sun and sat. Her brother waited until she sat beside him and then spoke.

" You've changed to fit in with Bloodclan, to survive. You shouldn't be sad or guilty about that, it will help you survive in the days and seasons to come. The scar is really cool by the way. Makes you look fierce. I will always be here for you, Nightkit… or Sage I guess. Always. Kind of like your own personal Starclan."

"Darkkit that's…." Sage shook her head before continuing. "It's Sage now. Not that I don't like the name Nightkit, but it doesn't fit me anymore. I think… I think I buried Nightkit, the kit I used to be, with you and the other kit." She looked over at Darkkit to see if he was mad that she had changed her name, but his gaze was sad as he stared at the water.

"I'm sorry Sage, that I can't do more for you. All I can do is warn you. In half a moon Crow is going to overthrow Raven. He's gathered a large group of cats from outside Bloodclan and they will kill everyone not loyal to him. Be careful and don't fight back. Survive, for me and mother."

Darkkit began to fade.

"No! Darkkit wait! Don't leave me… not again…"Sage yowled.

She lunged towards her brother and woke with a jolt in her nest in the camp.

She shivered softly as she remembered her brother's warning.

"What am I supposed to do?" Sage asked as she looked towards the stars.

Red shifted in his nest next to her.

"Sleep. You are keeping me up with all your tossing and turning and incoherent muttering."

"Shut up. I'm trying to think about whether or not I should warn you." Sage hissed at him.

" Warn Red about what?" Fox raised her head and nudged Bones awake.

All three cats turned to stare at her. Sage sighed.

" Just… never mind."

" Don't trust us?" Bones asked his eerie red eyes glinting in the dark.

Sage sighed but kept quiet. Because honestly, she didn't know if she could trust them. Even after three moons living with them, fighting both with and against them.

"Sage, you can trust us." Red meowed softly.

Fox and Bones both nodded. Sage sighed again, and decide to chance them telling Raven or Crow about what she knew.

"There's going to be an attack in half a moon. Don't fight in it, either on the attacking side or against it. I heard a cat talk about it while out hunting today. Don't tell anyone." Sage said quietly.

"Why shouldn't we tell anyone?" Fox asked. The pale tabbys eyes were wide.

Bones snorted.

"Because she doesn't want cats to know, because whatever happens benefits her in some way. She probably warned us for the same reason, it benefits her for us to be indebted to her."

Sage was shocked by his cold analysis of her motives for warning them, and the fact that what he thought about her was true. She wasn't going to warn Raven, nor did she want anyone to tell her because she wanted Crow to kill her because Sage blamed Raven for her brother's death. And though she had warned them because they were her sort of friends, the fact that if what Darkkit had said happened they would be in her debt was an added bonus.

'Just like a rogue. Thinking about myself and what would help me further my goals.' She thought bitterly. But...

"That's not true!" She meowed angrily at Bones.

He just curled back up in his nest and closed his eyes.

"Thanks for the warning." Fox meowed before she too curled up to go back to sleep.

Red just stared at her before asking, "Are- Did you just warn us to put us in your debt?"

"No! I warned you because you are the closest... You're my friends. And it might not even be true! The cat I heard it from might have been lying. But just in case." She meowed.

Red nodded and went back to sleep. Sage found it hard to go back to sleep that night.

'When did I get so good at lying?' She thought as she looked out at the sleeping camp.


	5. Chapter 5

When the attack happened it took everyone including Sage by surprise. She had thought the attack would happen at night when no one was awake, but instead, Crow padded into camp flanked by a large group of rogues at sunhigh. With one glance from where she had been sunning herself on a pile of rubble, Sage could see that his group was bigger than Bloodclan. Quickly Sage raced to an out of the way corner to watch the battle, but not participate like Darkkit had asked her to do.

Raven padded out of her den and looked down at Crow and his group.

"I was wondering when you going to try to overthrow me. Unfortunately for you...It won't work, and you won't get another chance." Raven paused a moment before screeching.

"Bloodclan! Attack! Show no mercy!"

At that she leaped at Crow, bowling him over to claw at his exposed belly. Sage shrunk into the shadows as the other Bloodclan cats raced around her to help their leader. Bones padded up beside her and looked out at the clashing cats.

"Surprised that only Crow turned against her?"

Sage nodded because Bones had again seemed to read her thoughts.

"Apparently before she took over the leader was horrible. So when Raven took over she changed our ways, slowly, obviously, or else the older cats would have rebelled. It's hard to believe but Raven's Bloodclan isn't as harsh as the old Bloodclan. We have a set camp, a healer, care for our kits and queens, don't separate families and even though Raven won't admit it we are gentler than when Scourge was around. All the cats who remember all that Raven's done are fiercely loyal to her."

He looked over at her head tilted questioningly.

" Do you really think Raven's death will avenge your brother? What will it do, besides destroy all the improvements that she's made?" He asked her quietly.

Sage didn't answer, she couldn't. Instead, she scanned the battle for Fox and Red and let out a small breath of relief when she couldn't find them.

"They went out to hunt. Hopefully, if they return they'll remember your warning." Bones meowed.

Sage nodded her thanks and they went back to watching the battle in silence.

The battle raged the rest day and when it ended, Raven was dead, and so was Crow. One of the cats he had brought with him, a tom called Reaper, killed him and claimed leadership of Bloodclan.

The four named kits met after the battle all still shocked at what had happened. Fox looked at Sage for a long moment in silence.

"I guess we're all in your debt now." She said at last.

Sage shuddered. Bones had said almost the same thing to her, except he had also asked if she was happy now that the attack had happened and Raven was dead. Sage wasn't. She was scared. Scared of what would happen to her and her friends now that Reaper was the leader of Bloodclan.


	6. Chapter 6

Reapers Camp

Leader- Reaper- White tom with one blue eye and one green eye

Second- Osprey- dark tabby tom

Cats- Shimmer- silver tabby and grey she cat

Lion- pale ginger she cat

Tar- scarred black tom

Bear- dark brown and black tom

Yew- pale brown tom

Hickory- dark grey and black she cat

Ginkgo-pale brown and ginger she cat

Oak- brown and ginger tom

Fate- young black and white she cat with blue eyes

Shadow- young black and white tom with green eyes

Foxglove(Fox)- pale tabby she cat

Bones- albino tom with red eyes

Red- dark ginger tom

Sage- pale tortoiseshell she cat with a scar that splits her face in half diagonally

Rat-scarred tabby tom

Lily-small pale grey she cat

Revenge- tabby and white she-cat

Savage-tabby tom

Nemesis- golden she cat

Scythe- black tom

Laurel-pretty pale ginger and cream she cat former kittypet

Belladonna- tortoiseshell and white she cat

Daffodil- elderly pale yellow she cat

Named Kits(Cats under one year old):

Oleander- tabby and ginger she cat

Fire- white and ginger she cat

Blue- dark tabby tom with blue eyes

One of the only good things to come out of Reaper taking over Bloodclan was that Sage and the other named became full members of Bloodclan, and the kits also got names without having to fight to the death first. Sage was happy about that, even as everything else about Bloodclan that she had liked was slowly being stripped away.

It happened so slowly that Sage barely noticed the changes as they happened. Life seemed to go on as normal and she befriended a few cats that had come with Reaper that were around her age. Bones was the only one of the named that talked to her these days it seemed. Fox and Red were always out hunting or patrolling together or hanging out with new friends. And even Bones didn't talk to her much. So Sage made friends because she didn't want to be entirely alone if Bones stopped being her friend. She started talking with a few of the younger cats in Reaper's group, namely littermates Fate and Shadow.

As they were all around the same age Sage, the three named and Fate and Shadow all trained together, and so the whole group reconnected in a way around their shared friendship with the two littermates. Under Reaper, the training was more brutal and he seemed to push Fate and Shadow extremely hard. They were always limping at the end of a day of training. Though Sage and the rest of them weren't much better off. The harsh training though was something that all of the young cats had gotten used either under Raven or Reaper.

But at least under Raven, the cats were allowed to go to Daffodil. Under Reaper Daffodil wasn't allowed to heal cats.

"Does Reaper want all of us to die from wounds that could be treated?"

Sage asked after one especially hard day of training. Her whole body ached and she was favoring her right foreleg. Bones and Fate who she had been training with for two on one encounter weren't much better. Bones had a long scratch along his side that was oozing blood, and a torn ear that dripped blood down his face. Fate had her lip torn away to reveal her teeth, more scratches that could be counted and was also limping.

"No. He wants to weed the strong from the weak. His reasoning is that if you die from wounds in mock battles then the cat didn't deserve to live. In his mind, he's making the group stronger by eliminating the weak links. That's all he cares about." Fate mewed softly, but confidently. Her last words where bitter.

Sage wondered how she could be so confident about Reaper's motives. But then Fate had been a member of Reaper's group her whole life.

"What do you mean that's all he cares about?" Bones asked, picking up on the bitterness with which she had spoken.

Fate paused for a moment before speaking.

"Reaper cares about the strength of the group as a whole, no individuals or favoritism. That would be a good thing in a leader except for the way he goes about strengthening the group. No healers, no hunting alone, the only time a cat can go out with other cats are on patrols or during training. And the guards that are always watching." Fate meowed and left them to go hunting. Bones watched Fate until she was out of camp and then looked at Sage.

"What did you get out of the conversation?" He asked.

Sage wondered if he was crazy because he had heard as well as she had that the conversation was about Reaper's leadership. She stopped and thought back to the conversation. Her bitterness and hatred toward Reaper but also the way she seemed to protect his leadership style. Sage gasped.

" Do you think Fate and Shadow are Reaper's kits? That's why she is bitter about his no individual favoritism? Because she wants her father to recognize her?" She asked quietly.

Bones nodded. They stood in silence for another moment before padding off in different directions.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sage padded toward Bristle and Thistle's den with two mice swinging by their tails. When she got to the den the two kits picked their heads up.

"I told you. Our mom is going to be back any day." Bristle meowed.

" I know. But I'm sure she wouldn't be angry if you ate these mice while you waited for her." Sage meowed calmly dropping the mice near the nest.

Bristle looked at Thistle a moment before reaching out and pulling the mice into the nest. The two kits devoured the mice in seconds.

"Thank you." Thistle mewed. It was the first time Sage had heard him speak.

She nodded.

"I'll be back tomorrow, with more." She promised.

A moon passed and Sage's daily visits with Thistle and Bristle were some of her favorite times of the day. The kits had filled out with Sage's hunting and Sage had started teaching them to hunt, in case she was found to be feeding cats outside of Bloodclan and was punished.

Sage lounged in the sun watching Thistle creep up on her tail. The almost 6 moon old kits were playful and curious and trusting. Compared to Fire and her littermates who were opposites to them in every way. Suddenly she heard paw steps behind her.

"What are you doing Sage?!" Fate meowed.

Sage jumped up and spun to face her friend.

"Fate! Why were you following me?"She meowed angrily. Bristle and Thistle had where huddled in corner.

"What you've done is treason! It's- It's my duty to turn you in. You've broken so many laws of the Camp. I'm sorry." Fate meowed. Tar and Osprey stalked out of the shadows and approached the cowering kits.

"Please, Fate. Let us go. They're just kits!" Sage meowed panicked.

Fate looked sorrowed for a moment before her eyes and Osprey had roughly herded the two kits toward the alley that lead closer to the Camp. Sage sighed and followed, her tail trailing on the ground. There was nothing she could do, except try to keep Thistle and Bristle alive. Thistle´s grey pelt was bristling with fear, and though Bristle´s mottled grey pelt was smooth, Sage could see her trembling.

As they entered the camp, the Camp cats instantly started murmuring, shooting fearful, questioning gazes at each other. Fate darted ahead to notify Reaper, and Tar and Osprey stayed back to guard them. As if they would run. Sage knew it would be an exercise in futility. Instead, she swept the two kits closer to her, silently comforting them.

From the edge of her vision, she saw Fox and Red staring at her in horror. Bones' gaze was guarded as always, calculating and revealing nothing. Shadow was looking at his sister as if he had suddenly realized that he didn't know her at all.

When Reaper appeared, the cats in the camp, became even more still if possible, ears pricked to hear the verdict.

"Sage. Let's see, you talked to these kits, though they might be spies for an enemy group, you feed them, and helped them, which could make them a threat to the group, and you didn't bring them back to the group to strengthen it. These crimes are all punishable by death, but Fate asked me to spare you harm, and this once I will acquiesce her wishes. This doesn't mean that you will not be punished, I must make an example of you so that others don't try to usurp the group. So, instead, I'll punish the kits that obviously mean so much to you. " Sage wished that she was dead, that Fate had decided not to ´spare´ her because Reapers punishment was worse. At least if she had died, she would be with Darkkit again. Instead, Reaper had called forward Fire and Blue to stand next to Bristle and Thistle. She had to choose which kits would be killed, and which would be a part of the Camp. Fire, who normally was so bubbly was subdued, and Blue was staring at nothing, dark tabby fur bristling.

And unlike when she had joined Bloodclan it wouldn't be a fight to the death between the two pairs of kits. No, Reaper was punishing her, she would have the blood of kits on her paws either way. She glanced around panicked, looking for help. Shadow had joined Red, Fox, and Bones who were all tense.

Suddenly she remembered a conversation that had happened moons ago when she had warned her friends that there would be an attack or there was a solid chance they could be harmed. After the battle, they had all meowed something about being in her debt. She had yet to call in a favor, and they might have forgotten but… A risky plan, that would most likely end with her dead started to form.

Hoping her friends would understand she turned her gaze back to Reaper. He looked smug.

"So. You want me to kill someone or two someones. And they have to be killed today, in front of all these cats, so whatever happens, is seen by the group. Am I correct?"

"Yes. Do you want me to choose for you?"

"No. I've already chosen." Sage meowed calmly. "I'll kill you."

She lunged claws unsheathed, aiming for Reapers throat. The tom leaped back, eyes widening in shock for one moment before he recovered.

"Kill her." He yowled. "And the kits."

Belladonna shrieked in horror and raced forward with Rat to try and defend their kits. Sage barely had time to notice that most of the cats gathered were hanging back, while only Fate, Tar, and Osprey were fighting for Reaper. She couldn't see her friends but hoped that they were on her side. Reaper and Osprey lunged at Sage, while Fate lunged for Thistle and Bristle. Tar had been engaged by Fox, Bones had come to stand in front of the two kits, while Red had come to fight by her. Though she knew they were only fighting by her side because of the debt, Sage still felt a warmth in her chest as she fought with the three cats she was closest to.

She dodged Reaper's lunge only to be tackled by Osprey. The dark tabby tom raked his paws savagely down her sides and stomach.

Sage knew his fighting style though and went limp. Confident that he had won the tom eased his weight up a little, giving Sage to break she needed. She dug her paws into Osprey and rolled, reversing their positions and raked her paws repeatedly across his stomach, until the tom stopped struggling and lay limp. If she were a clan cat she probably would let him go, but she was a rogue, she slit his throat.

Sage turned to look for another threat and saw Fate racing for the exit of the camp, multiple wounds trailing blood with Bear, Revenge, and Yew following her. Tar was lying on the ground with his throat slit like Osprey, and Red was still battling Reaper along with Bones, both toms bleeding from multiple gashes though Reaper looked worse than both.

Sage moved to help, as Bones struck a killing blow, and Reaper fell with a gasp. Reaper was dead. What would happen now? Sage thought.

Apparently, everyone else had the same thought as every cats gaze flitted around the camp. Until landing on Bones.

"You struck the killing blow, you lead." Savage meowed the tom looked shaken that his sister had left with the defeated cats.

Bones shook his head. "It was Sage who challenged Reaper, so she leads. I'll be Second though." He looked at Sage. "If that's okay?"

Sage nodded. Her, leader. She was only a year and 7 moons old! She couldn't lead. She needed to think. But these cats were hers now. She had to think of them first, be a good leader. What needed to be done? She looked at the cats remaining in the clearing. Belladonna and Rat were standing protectively by their trembling kits. Bristle and Thistle pressed together, crouching like they wanted to disappear. Her three friends who had fought with her were injured and bloody.

"If you're injured go to Daffodil or Shadow, she's reinstated as healer and he knows about herbs. If you feel up for patrol or hunting go for it. If not you can stay in camp or bury Reaper, Tar and Osprey." She meowed more confidently than she felt.

Instantly the cats were moving to follow her orders. The knowledge that they were hers to protect crashed into her again. She had failed to protect Thistle and Bristle. What hope did she have to protect a whole group?


End file.
